Electraglide Epiphany vs Kubala-Ssna vs....

I just heard my pal's audio system,after not hearing it for about 2 months.Last session was a superb listening experience,as my other friends all agreed it was the best sound he had so far.Since that session,he upgraded his pre-amp P/C from a "high up the line" Electraglide cord(Don't know exact model,yet it listed for about 3500 bucks,according to him)to the Epiphany cord(nice Christmas tree/like "silver" casing as well).Unanimously,now,we felt there was a significant loss of warmth and body to both his digital,and analog sound.Really uninvolving,this time around!!

I have read that the Epiphany was actually an amp cord,yet when he comes back from his well deserved vacation,he will ask for an honest response as to our reaction,with the new voicing(which was "dreck").Any thoughts?

The Epiphany, probably, like most of the Electraglide cords, takes quite some time to break in. That could be a possibility.

I would agree to a point that the cord may have needed breaking in. It is also possible that the Epiphany was allowing you to actually hear his pre-amp. I would be interest to know what pre-amp it was. I also tend to believe the Epiphany is ruthlessly revealing and this too may be an issue. The Kubala-Sosna is as open and revealing, yet not as aggressive. I think any time you get into the top level of cables we risk pointing out weaknesses within the system, so using these types of cables is not always the best move.

The particular Epiphany was bought used,and broken in.The cord it replaced was a very expensive,yet also superb sounding Electra Glide model.The pre-amp is a highly modified,by great northern sound co.,Audio Research SP-15,that has gone through some extensive tube rolling,and is a SUPERB unit,not the villain here.I suspect that the previous cord was a better match.That's all!My observations were corresponded by all of the few additional listeners,on hand!All very experienced hobbyists.I,also have some Electraglide cords in my set-up,yet have resisted the upgrade path,since it sounds good to me,and I believe that "If it ain't broke,then don't try to fix it"!Unless,of course one can A/B something in one's own set-up,which was not what happened,here.In this case,the purchaser was happy,yet was greatly influenced by industry hype(the solid silver sheathing,on the cord,should have sent up a RED FLAG.Why does this skin have to be so ostentacious?Sales hype,for a megabuck PC,I suspect,and I have spent some dough,myself)and the rediculous SIX thousand dollar list price!

Best to all!!

Sirspeedy. We all agree the list pricing on the EG cords is down-right silly, since NOBODY pays more than $1100 for these. I would also agree that the EG is better suited for some applications than others. It is very fast and open, but in some systems, it might be sterile, and that's what you found. Thats has not been my experience, but I think if I had ALL EG's it might be too much of a good thing. I have some EG, some Isoclean in my system, but am still experimenting.

BTW, i did receive a new epiphany X which is better than the regular epiphany. It adds body, bass and is still very open and extended. Really superb. I've tried it on all my components, and in every single instance (to line conditioner, amps, preamp, digital), it bettered the regular epiphany. It was smoother and more musical, and still fast open, and dynamic. Bass much tighter as well.

Anyway, the power cord rolling is on. It still boggles the mind that they would make such a difference, but time after time, the ears tell the truth.